The comedian, George Carlin, once made a list of the seven dirty words you couldn’t say on television. The words Carlin listed were said to be inappropriate and offensive. This week, I’m reminded of Carlin’s list as I make note of the seven dirty things I’ve heard on social media this week. Carlin would be proud.
1. “thug”
“ ...there’s no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw yesterday...When individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they’re not protesting, they’re not making a statement -- they’re stealing. When they burn down a building, they’re committing arson. And they’re destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities that rob jobs and opportunity from people in that area. My understanding is, is you’ve got some of the same organizers now going back into these communities to try to clean up in the aftermath of a handful of criminals and thugs who tore up the place.”
In a joint press conference with Prime Minister Abe of Japan, Obama was asked to comment on the events in Baltimore. Tongues -- and typewriters -- began flapping when President Obama threw out the word “thugs” to describe the protesters in Baltimore. “Thug” has even been called the new “N---” word.
But wait! Was he describing the protesters? In fact, no, he wasn’t. The word was used to describe a handful of looters, arsonists and thieves who used a community’s moment of weakness to benefit themselves personally.
According to Merriam Webster, a well-known authority when it comes to the meaning of certain words, a thug is a “... brutal ruffian or assassin. A thief.” Throughout history, pillagers and plunderers of all races and ethnicities have been described as thugs. Mobsters, English footballers -- the Vikings (the kind from Norway, not the football team from Minnesota. Although, maybe them too.)
It wasn't until the rapper Tupac, a self-proclaimed criminal, used the word in one of his songs (maybe it rhymed with hug?) that the world began to attribute a different meaning to the word. Suddenly, “thug life” was cool.
There are many words that have taken on new meanings over the years. “Assassin” is actually an Arabic word meaning “hashish eater”. Warriors would would dope themselves up with hashish before heading off into battle.
The word “nice” took 700 years to flip-flop into the positive meaning it has today. In the 14th century, “nice” was the Latin word for “foolish or ignorant”. The Middle Ages is responsible for moving the word to a more neutral meaning. Just goes to show a little PR make any word work however we want it to.
Bottom line: Thugs steal and loot. They are brutal ruffians -- no matter what race and color they are.
2. “Shhhhh. Just close your eyes. It will all be over soon.”
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities and experiences I got from the Rockets and know they acted in what they thought was their best interest (to) avoid any more controversy. I didn’t mean to advocate violence toward animals; just let my emotions get the best of me in a jab at the Mavs that was not very well thought out.”
Houston Rockets social media manager, Chad Shanks, was trying to be clever. However, his little joke and visual aid went down faster than horseshoes in the Trinity River. Given the fact that Texas is ready to pass an open-carry law (see below), local cartoonists are drawing blasphemous pictures of the prophet Mohammed, and the public, in general, has seen more than their fair share of shooting in cities like Baltimore and Ferguson, Shanks’ little joke may really was not very well thought out.
3. “Gave those who wished to destroy space to do that”
“It’s a very delicate balancing act because while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.”
Mayor Stephanie Rawling-Blake, the mayor of Baltimore, was trying to be politically correct. Rawling-Blake made the number one mistake lots of politicians, even seasoned ones, make. She thought she could do it herself.
The situation became even more dicey when, a few days later, Mayor Rawling-Blake denied ever saying those words. That’s when she should have consulted her Social Media manager. He or she would have reminded her, “The Internet is forever.”
4. “Hate speech is not protected under the Constitution.”
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
That would be a direct quote from the Constitution of the United States. And former lawyer and CNN news anchor Chris Cuomo should have it memorized by now.
His fingers were probably on autopilot when he tweeted, “...hate speech is excluded from protection. don’t just say you love the constitution… read it.”
The fabulous thing about our country is our freedom to say what we want. The right for free-thinking people to open their mouths and voice their opinions is given to all -- even those who don’t have anything nice to say. It says so in the Constitution. Read it, Cuomo.
5. “Operation Jade Helm 15”
Initially, I had no idea what Jade Helm 15 was. It sounds like a fancy name for an armored super-hero. Apparently, I’m not too far off the mark. The government has a secret operation under way. Which is why EVERYONE knows about it. The Commander-in-Chief, the one who uses the word “thug” is planning to impose martial law on the United States of America. All of us. Mrs. Obama is rather fond of how she decorated the Lincoln room and is loathe to have someone change it around.
6. “Greg Abbott...Chuck Norris...Infowars...”
….And Texas is number one on Obama’s list. The US military is shutting down the state’s Wal-Marts to use as detention centers. I can’t blame them. They sell guns, which would allow the public to arm themselves?
Luckily, our fearless leader, Governor Gregg Abbott is on the case. With the help of Walker, Texas Ranger (aka Chuck Norris), the Texas Guard has been deployed to look out for us.
7. “Texas Open Carry”
Guns! Enough Said!
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